Forecast

Death toll reportedly reaches 5 as Harvey spawns massive flooding in Houston area

Here's what you need to know about the storm, damage, forecasts

Shelby Webb, John D. Harden, St. John Barned-Smith, Dug Begley, and Susan Carroll| on
August 27, 2017

Coast Guard Air Station Houston responds to search and rescue requests after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation centers and has established incident command posts to manage Coast Guard storm operations.U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Johanna Strickland.

Coast Guard Air Station Houston responds to search and rescue requests after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation

Coast Guard Air Station Houston responds to search and rescue requests after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation centers and has established incident command posts to manage Coast Guard storm operations.U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Johanna Strickland.

Coast Guard Air Station Houston responds to search and rescue requests after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. The Coast Guard is working closely with all local and state emergency operation

Death toll reportedly reaches 5 as Harvey spawns massive flooding in Houston area

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City officials urged people to call 911 only if they are in "imminent danger" as flood water in the Houston area continued to rise.

Tropical Storm Harvey hovered over Houston early Sunday and dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on already saturated streets, killing at least five people and prompting evacuations of apartment complexes and dramatic rescues, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 7 a.m., the weather service said August was the wettest month on record for the Houston area, with an average rainfall of nearly 23 inches, beating June 2011.

Across the region, rising waters pinned some into their homes or on rooftops, as low-lying areas turned into massive lakes and streams. Freeways in some parts were so deluged, water was lapping at overhead freeway signs.

Police were using transit buses to evacuate those unable to get to shelters on their own.

NOAA radar shows Hurricane Harvey moving over the coast. A hurricane warning is in effect for the counties shaded in red on the map.

Created by Data Journalist Rachael Gleason

Here is the latest on forecasts, damage, evacuations, closures and more as the storm continues to churn in South Texas.

FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS - 6:10 a.m.

The entire Texas Gulf coast is under a "catastrophic" flash flood emergency until 10:45 a.m.

Rainfall totals for the past 12 hours topped 20 inches. And the forecast for the next few days remains dire, with computer models showing continued rounds of thunderstorms spawned by Harvey, which has been downgraded from a hurricane to tropical storm. Blood said the Houston area can expect at least an additional 15 to 25 inches over the next few days.

"I know for a fact this is the worst flood Houston has ever experienced," Blood said. "Worse than (tropical storm) Allison. It's so widespread."

STORM-RELATED DEATHS - 5:01 a.m.

Five people have died in the Houston area in unconfirmed flood-related deaths, according to the National Weather Service.

The actual toll from Harvey remains unclear as rescue workers are still trying to reach vehicles and people stranded across the region.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted at 2:41 a.m. about an unconfirmed report that a female and child were inside a submerged vehicle along Interstate 10 near Lathrop.

A woman who allegedly tried to exit her flooded car near the Buffalo Bayou became the city's first fatality Saturday night, authorities said.

RESCUES, 7:35 a.m.

Emergency workers are overwhelmed with calls for water rescues early Sunday. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett estimated 1,000 water rescues had taken place.

"We're all under water out here," said Jonell Soto, the wife of South Houston mayor, Joe Soto. The couple was in an 18-wheeler on Sunday morning trying to reach Joe Soto's 87-year-old mother, who lives on Indiana Street in South Houston.

Houston police officials also evacuated two apartment complexes in Greenspoint, rescuing more than 50 children from rising flood waters overnight.

"It breaks your heart," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said via a livestream on Twitter, as he stood in waist-high water in north Houston. "But, it's Texas, we'll get through it."

Relief efforts Sunday morning were coming in from across Texas and the nation. Drivers in high-water rescue trucks were aproaching from College Station.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio committed 120 city staff, saying they were headed to Houston.

"After Superstorm Sandy, so many cities stepped up to help our people," he said via Twitter. "We'll do all we can to help those affected by this storm."

Houston TranStar listed 181 high-water locations on the roads, which were lined with stalled and stranded motorists. Hobby Airport closed because of flooding. Metropolitan Transit Authority suspended all service. Harris County Toll Road Authority ceased tolling, so those forced to avoid high water could use the tollways.

Dozens of exits were closed along freeways and tollways, cutting off many neighborhoods, which were dealing with their own isolated, rising waters.

State roads will not reopen until waters recede and any debris can be cleared.

"We have crews ready to head out to do what they can," said Danny Perez, spokesman for TxDOT in Houston, adding "they will do so when it is safe."

As of 7 a.m., CenterPoint said more than 65,000 people in their Houston coverage area were without power, and number that was steadily rising.

In Harris County, the heaviest rainfalls over the past 12 hours were around Webster, where the county flood control gauge on the Galveston County line registered 19.3 inches since 5:30 p.m.

Harris County Sheriff's were responding to numerous rescue requests in the area, stressing people should only use 911 in dire emergencies, as dispatchers were struggling to keep up with the calls."Difficult to get to everyone right away," Gonzalez tweeted. "Hang tight."

Panic set in Saturday night as entire neighborhoods were swallowed by feet of rain, forcing some residents to flee to their attics, especially along Interstate 45 between downtown and Clear Lake, including parts of Pasadena, said Jeff Lindner with the Harris County Flood Control District.

About 119 sections of waterways in Harris County had spilled over their banks, according to the Harris County Flood Warning System. One of the rain bands dumped between 5 and 6 inches of rain on parts of the Houston metro area late Saturday, and a second still working its way across the area could bring 6 additional inches.

A third band of torrential rain is moving its way up from along Highway 59 from El Campo and could bring another 3 to 5 inches of rain on top of the 15 inches some areas received.

SUNDAY MORNING SITUATION: Dozens of high water locations, Thousands without power - 4:45 a.m.

With a few hours to go until dawn and no end to the rain in sight, officials are carefully watching many high water locations and telling residents waking up to another day with Harvey to stay put.

Houston TranStar listed 154 high-water locations on the roads, which were lined with stalled and stranded motorists. Hobby Airport closed because of flooding. Metropolitan Transit Authority suspended all service.

As of 4:30 a.m., CenterPoint said nearly 57,000 people in their Houston coverage area were without power.

SHELTER IN PLACE: Pasadena fatality may not be weather-related - 4 a.m.

Battered by heavy rains overnight, the city of Pasadena remained under orders to shelter in place through Sunday morning with many of the city's roads made impassable from flood waters.

The shelter in place was issued by the city's Office of Emergency Management at approximately 12:45 a.m. after hours of continuous rainfall pounded many of the city's streets, according to Pasadena Police Department spokesperson Jessica Ramirez.

At Richey Street and Highway 225, the roadway, which dips at a certain point, was completely submerged by water.

"You can't even tell it's a freeway right now," Ramirez said.

From what officers could tell, she added, it appeared that no vehicles had been on the road at the time.

According to Ramirez, police responded to a significant number of residents reporting flood waters in their homes.

"We've people hundreds of people call that they had water damage and were trapped in their homes," she said. "It may be a matter of having a few inches in their homes and they can't go anywhere at this point because the streets are flooded."

Impassable roadways also posed challenges to emergency responders, said Ramirez.

"We are responding to emergency situations but the roads are pretty flooded and some of our high-water vehicles can't get to certain places right now," she said.

Police reported one fatality overnight, with police responding to a 911 call from a home on Pauline Street just after midnight, but police say that it was likely unrelated to weather conditions and the death remains under investigation, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said no major weather-related injuries had been reported as of 4 a.m. Sunday.

Emergency officials said they've seen a spike in the number of people requiring water rescues but were unable to give any specific numbers.

Mario Gomez, a volunteer with the Harris County Joint Information Center, said hundreds of water rescues were ongoing by Sunday morning. He said the majority of rescues are happening in the southeast Houston region, around Pasadena, La Marque and Clear Creek.

Within one hour Saturday night, the Houston Fire Department responded to 17 water rescues along Houston roads, according to its Twitter account. The areas most affected by water rescues include the Southwest Freeway, the Katy Freeway and Westheimer Road.

Emergency officials urged drivers to stay off the roads Saturday night and into early Sunday morning.

The Coast Guard rescued 20 people and a dog left stranded after Harvey Saturday.

After nearly making it through two intense bands of rain, the blog Space City Weather reports that a third band of torrential rain is on track to hit the Houston area during the early hours of Monday morning.

As of about 1:45 a.m., the second band was still working its way across west Houston, while the first band had stalled over east Houston, including Baytown. The third band had passed El Campo and was heading northeast along Highway 59.

The National Weather Service predicted the center of Tropical Storm Harvey would remain inland over southeastern Texas through Monday, according to their 1 a.m. update. The storm is expected to drift towards the south or southeast.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 45 miles per hour with higher gusts, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles away from the center.

The National Hurricane Center said a severe thunderstorm capable of spawning a tornado was located over northern Pasadena, moving north at about 15 miles an hour. Those in Pasadena, Deer Park, Galena Park, Cloverleaf, Channelview and other nearby areas should seek shelter.

The thunderstorms are part of a second band of strong rain that will drench the area early Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Officials said the new band is generating 5 to 6 inches of rainfall each hour.

Space City Weather predicted the third band could bring an additional 3 to 5 inches of rain on top of the 5 to 15 inches that had already fallen across the Houston area.

About 119 sections of waterways - including bayous and rivers - had spilled past their banks early Sunday morning, according to the Harris County Flood Warning System. At least six of those areas were within the I-610 Loop, but about 19 were located in southeast Harris County.

Lake Conroe exceeded its normal elevation by early Sunday, and officials planned a series of water releases through the lake's dams throughout the morning.

The cities of Pasadena and Dickinson told residents to shelter in place overnight Sunday as flood waters continued to rise in both areas.

The Dickinson Police Department said all roads in the city are impassable, and that the department had conducted multiple high water rescues.

The National Weather Service has blanketed huge swaths of the Houston area a flash flood warnings, among the most dire alerts the agency can issue. It issued flash flood emergencies for the following areas: from the Hobby Airport to Friendswood and Pearland; from Cloverleaf to Pasadena to near San Luis Pass; and from west central Harris, east Fort Bend and north Brazoria counties.

Acevedo tweeted that as many as 110 city roads were impassable at about 11:45 p.m. due to flooding. That number had jumped to 142 by 1:30 a.m. The high water road closures are listed here.

Friendswood officials issued an alert at 10:57 p.m. Saturday that the city is experiencing street flooding. Residents were urged to to stay in their homes and avoid driving through high water.

Turner tweeted that a rain band appeared to stall over the Braeswood and Meyerland areas, producing as much as 4 inches of rainfall within one hour there. City and emergency officials warned people in those neighborhoods to move valuables and electronics off the floors and to be prepared for water to come into some residences.

Officials in Fort Bend County warned drivers to avoid multiple roads as water crept onto area streets Saturday evening.

US 59 southbound and Northbound lanes from FM 762 to Reading Road were closed due to high water by Saturday evening, as was the State Highway 99 northbound feeder road at Highland Knolls, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. Deputies also urged caution as water levels rose on roadways in the Sunrise Meadow subdivision and on Beechnut Road between Harlem and Mason roads.

Keegans Bayou was so high Saturday afternoon that it lapped at the concrete support struts under the Roark Road bridge at U.S. 59, swelled onto the grassy banks in places, and crept up the walking path there.

"I've never seen it like this," said Mark Cardenas, 24, from Rosenberg, who stopped just to see the whitewater. "It looks pretty bad. That water is flowing."

The meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District said the county has yet to see severe flooding. Some streets and a few feeder roads have flooded, but meteorologist Jeff Lindner said it was nothing threatening.

Lindner said, the areas of concern were South Mayde Creek near west Houston's George Bush Park, where the creek rose a foot above its banks by mid-morning near Greenhouse Road. Officials were also watching Keegans Bayou in the southwest part of the county, near Sugar Land.

Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the county's emergency management team, added that officials are watching high water on freeways, but most has been limited to feeder roads. The highway most affected as of 10 a.m. was Beltway 8 in the Pasadena area.

"Stay home if you can," Sanchez warned drivers.

High rain fall was also reported in Fort Bend County. Nearly 9 inches had already fallen near First Colony around 6:15 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

POWER OUTAGES - More than 40,000 without power in the Houston area - 11:50 p.m.

More than 41,000 CenterPoint Energy customers were without power late Saturday night, according to the utilities company. Earlier in the evening, only about 19,000 were without power.

At one point over the past 48 hours, Centerpoint Energy Spokeswoman Alicia Dixon said as many as 197,000 were without power, but power had been restored to more than 170,000 customers.

"Others continue to lose power as rain bands and tornadoes go through," Dixon said. "Overall we serve 2.4 million customers and haven't had a large percentage impacted. The system has held up really well."

TORNADOES: Multiple tornadoes confirmed - 8:51 p.m.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and the Stafford Police Department reported tornado sightings at about 8: 30 p.m. The Sheriff's Office also tweeted that a different tornado had been spotted near U.S. 90 and the Texas Parkway minutes earlier.

A tornado warning has been issued for Meadow Place, Addicks and Santsuma through 9 p.m.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Wendy Wong confirmed seven tornadoes touched down in the Houston area between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

A possible eighth tornado may have formed near FM 359 and McCrary Road in Fort Bend County, according to a Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office Twitter post at 7:15 p.m.

Four of those tornadoes spawned in northwest Harris County within the 4 p.m. hour Saturday, Wong confirmed. Another struck the Sienna Plantation neighborhood in Fort Bend County earlier Saturday.

On Friday, two tornadoes spawned closer to the coast - one near La Marque and Texas City and another on Galveston Island, Wong said.

Among the recent tornadoes in northwest Harris County, the first touched down at 4 p.m. near Cypress Ranch High School and moved toward Hockley, Waller and Todd Mission. Video on social media showed a large but disorganized funnel cloud moving near Barker Cypress Road and West Road near Cypress-Fairbanks.

It was not immediately clear where the other three tornadoes touched down in that area Saturday afternoon.

Gonzales tweeted that some homes had suffered "extensive damage" in the Lone Oak Subdivision, and that other buildings had been impacted near the Barry Center; Black Horse Ranch; Fry Road at Cypress North Houston Road; and between Tuckerton and West roads. Photos tweeted by Gonzales show the roof of one home was almost completely ripped off, while gutters and other hardware hung down the walls of another.

Other twisters caused damage near College Station and Sargent.

Melissa Huffman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston, said Harvey's strong winds have set in motion smaller vortexes, resulting in frequent but brief tornadoes. Such conditions are expected to continue through Monday.

The Red Cross has opened two emergency shelters in Houston at the following locations: the Chinese Community Center, located at 9800 Town Park Dr., Houston, Texas, 77036; and the M.O. Campbell Education Center, located at 1865 Aldine Bender Rd., Houston, Texas 77032.

"We want to assure people who live in flood prone areas, as well our most vulnerable residents, that resources will be available if they need them," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "With the experience of the American Red Cross on our side, we will continue to muster every available resource to protect all residents as much as possible from this very unpredictable threat."

Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of low-lying areas surrounding the San Bernard River earlier on Saturday, warning it could swell to record levels by Monday afternoon.

Hebert also announced a voluntary evacuation order for residents in low-lying areas near the Brazos River, and urged residents in both areas to "quickly gather your loved ones, pets, emergency kit and necessities before leaving the evacuation zones as soon as safely possible."

The National Weather Service forecasts record flooding along both rivers, with a potential crest of 55 feet along the Brazos River and a crest of 34.1 feet for the San Bernard River at Sweeny. Both projections show rivers will rise above the record-setting levels reached in 2016.

Evacuation orders were issued to about 4,000 residents near Surfside Beach, prompted by fears that storm surges could reach up to 8 feet. County officials have opened an emergency shelter in Angleton, about 20 miles inland. In Holiday Lakes, a town of 350 households, local leaders also prepared Saturday to issue a mandatory evacuation order. About 95 percent of Holiday Lakes households were flooded last year.

Oil companies have evacuated personnel from about 15 percent of the manned oil-production platforms and half of the working drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, federal officials said Saturday.

As of 11:30 a.m., Gulf operators reported they have evacuated 112 out of 737 platforms and five of 10 drilling rigs, and one so-called dynamically positioned rig has moved off its drilling site, a precautionary move as the storm swept through the region, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice evacuated about 4,500 inmates in the Ramsey, Terrell and Stringfellow units in Rosharon in Brazoria County by buses to facilities in East Texas.

Kroger announced Saturday afternoon that it will close all Houston-area stores at 9 p.m. Saturday night. H-E-B stores, including Joe V's Smart Shop and Mi Tienda, will close at the same time.

Walmart closed some Houston-area stores Saturday, including one on Interstate 45 near Greenspoint and locations in La Marque, Lake Jackson, Humble, Angleton and West Columbia. It also closed eight Sam's Club stores in Houston, Katy, Humble, Conroe and La Marque.

The University of Houston announced that it will not be open on Monday. The campuses in Katy and Sugar Land will also be closed. Texas Southern University announced it would decide Sunday by 3 p.m. on whether classes would be held as scheduled.

More than 20 Houston-area school districts cancelled classes Friday, Monday or both days in light of the storm. In some districts, including Houston ISD, closing school meant cancelling the first day of school on Monday, postponing the start of the school year.

FLIGHTS: More than 300 departures cancelled -- 12:35 p.m.

United Airlines announced Saturday afternoon that it is suspending flights out of Houston to non-hub airports. That represents about 300 departures.

It plans to continue operating flights from Houston to its hub airports and most international destinations, United spokesman Charlie Hobart said in an email Saturday.

As of Friday, United suspended operations at Corpus Christi, McAllen Miller and Valley international airports.

DAMAGE: Reported tornadoes in Missouri City, Katy - 12:15 p.m.

A suspected tornado brought on by Hurricane Harvey tossed trailers and pushed over a billboard early Saturday at a boat and RV storage business in Katy.

Katy Freeway Boat and Storage and Trailer World of Katy along the Katy Freeway near FM 1463 were hit about 5:30 a.m.

"We have two businesses here on the property - or we did," said manager B.J. Prendergast as he was surveying the damages.

Although it could not be officially confirmed by the National Weather Service, Prendergast said he was told a bystander reported seeing the twister moving across a road toward the business.

Another reported tornado caused damage to about 50 homes and left trees down inside the Sienna Plantation neighborhood overnight in Missouri City, according to the Fort Bend Office of Emergency Management. The Red Cross is in route to the area and will evaluate the need for shelter for residents.

The tornado touched down in Missouri City around 12:50 a.m., according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Downed poles and power lines were also reported in Rosenberg by the police department.

Across the Rockport area, there were reports of damaged buildings, including a high school. People were believed to be trapped in multiple buildings and some structures collapsed with people inside, according to preliminary reports.

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Other bayous across Houston area also were quickly gaining water. Brays Bayou at Beltway 8 was already at 52 feet around 7:30 a.m. During Hurricane Ike, the bayou reached 58 feet.

Harvey is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 15 to 35 inches, with isolated pockets of 40 inches through Wednesday. The weather service said "rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding."

GOVERNMENT: What's the latest storm detail from Texas, U.S.

President Donald Trump tweeted Friday night that he signed a disaster proclamation, "which unleashes the full force of government help!"

"I want to continue to encourage Texans to take this threat seriously, heed warnings from local officials, and do all they can to prepare as the state of Texas works to ensure we are in the best position to respond to urgent needs following this storm," Abbott said in a statement Friday afternoon.

In Freeport, home to about 12,000 residents, city officials issued a mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas and urged all residents to leave. Seven counties from Corpus Christi to the western end of Galveston Island were also evacuated.